User:Lucybailey01/dinosaursbydesign

Dinosaurs by Design was written by Duane Gish (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duane_Gish) and published by Master Books in 1992. It was written to provide a textbook for use in homeschool curricula. Master Books exists to “publish homeschool curriculum that will grow a student’s faith in their Creator and His Word in a way that will have a lasting and eternal impact.”

In the book, the author investigates the evidence for a creationist view of dinosaurs. His belief in a literal interpretation of the creation story in the Bible fuels his arguments. Gish argues that dinosaur fossils cannot be accurately dated using traditional radioactive methods, as “they often give very unreliable results.” Instead of an evolutionary view of dinosaurs, Gish suggests that dinosaurs were created along with other animals by God in the biblical creation story, and disappeared due to changes in the climate after Noah’s flood: “We believe that all of the dinosaurs may have died out after the Flood because of the many great changes that took place on the earth as a result of that flood”. As evidence for this argument, Gish cites the existence of dinosaurs today in the Loch Ness Monster, the Moekele Mbembe and the killing in 1890 of what he suggests was “the last living Quetzacoatlus.”

Contents of the Book Dinosaurs by Design is divided into three parts. Part I addresses the creationist view of dinosaurs and fossil evidence, Part II discusses the various families of dinosaurs and the characteristics of each, and Part III examines the creationist view of the fate of the dinosaurs.

Reactions to the book In his review of Dinosaurs by Design, Daniel J. Phelps harshly criticizes the conclusions reached by Gish, stating “The sheer number of errors, half- truths, and outright deceptions in the book make it difficult to review in a limited space.” (Saint George and the Baryonyx). Phelps quotes many of Gish’s false and unsubstantiated claims, providing the peer-reviewed evidence to the contrary.

False claims in the book Phelps cites the following as false claims by Gish: The discovery of 30 Iguanodon skeletons in a Belgian coal mine are explained as resulting from the "great Flood of Noah". This is disproven by the research of DB Norman, published in the Archives of Natural History : "there was no catastrophic event which led to the accumulation of fossils. The mine records indicate at least four separate depositional layers. This is supported by taphonomic evidence revealed in the reconstruction of the excavation site". An armored dinosaur was found buried in ice in Antarctica. This is false according to the research of DB Weishample in the journal Paleobiology: This fossil was found in sedimentary rocks known as the Santa Marta Formation, not in ice. Duckbill dinosaurs with skin preserved were "buried so quickly that their flesh did not have time to decay before they were completely buried in mud.” In reality, the fossils show evidence that the carcasses underwent considerable decay and desiccation before burial according to the Lull and Wright 1942 publication in Geological Society of America Special Paper. The "Great Flood of Noah" is the best explanation for a mass burial of allosaurs found in Utah ). This is in contrast with the findings of Molnar and Farrow, who stated that “The orientation of the elements when uncovered suggests that they were scattered and became oriented before burial. This is consistent with the occurrence of breakage and loss of delicate structures, which suggests that scavenging took place. . . . Such invertebrates and plants as have been found indicate deposition in a shallow, quiet, freshwater body" Phelps concluded that Gish’s book, while inappropriate as a curriculum for children, is useful in arguing against Gish and other creationists: “ Any scientists wishing to debate Gish can use the contents of this book as a powerful weapon to force him into defending this pseudo- scientific nonsense.”

Examining Dinosaurs by Design using Sagan’s “Baloney Detection Kit” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Demon-Haunted_World

Carl Sagan, in his book, The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark, proposes a method for identifying pseudoscience which he calls “The Baloney Detection Kit”. Gish’s work does not hold up to these standards in the following ways:

Occam’s razor: Gish offers this explanation for the existence of carnivorous dinosaurs, who would have presumably eaten plants when they were created: “Perhaps, after sin and violence came into the world, some animals became more ferocious, and developed an appetite for meat. Having the teeth, jaws, claws and the power to do so, these animals began to kill and eat other animals.” This is certainly not the most simple explanation. Scientific hypothesis must be falsifiable. Gish’s young-earth creationism, based on a literal interpretation of the Bible, is not easily falsifiable, as it relies on a faith based framework. Scientific claims are often accompanied by quantitative data. Gish’s book tends to be qualitative, drawing heavily on biblical narratives, but lacking in quantitative scientific evidence. Gish’s book relies heavily on the biblical account of creation and a young-earth perspective. independent confirmation from other scientific disciplines overwhelmingly supports an old-earth model in theory of evolution.

References:

1. masterbooks.com (https://www.masterbooks.com.):

2. Gish, D. T. (1992). Dinosaurs by Design.

3. Phelps, S. R. (1994). St. George and the Baryonyx.

4. Norman, D. A. (1987). "On the history of the discovery of fossils at Bernissart in Belgium." Archives of Natural History, 14(1), 59-79.